


Spandex, or how a little retail therapy helps Steve Rogers

by KByrd



Series: Tourist in time [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 10:50:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2022345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KByrd/pseuds/KByrd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria gets to know Steve a little better through what you might call 'retail therapy'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spandex, or how a little retail therapy helps Steve Rogers

Once security sends her the message that Rogers has arrived, Maria walks down to his office.

They've given him an office more so that he has a place to go than from any idea that he needs to work. The consultants meet him in his office rather than make him find them in the maze that is headquarters. And he has a computer and ready access to people willing to help.

If he were willing to ask.

Maria stands in the doorway of his office and wonders where he is.

"Holy mother of ...." Steve emerges from the bathroom holding something blue and plastic in his hand and rubbing his face irritably. He stops in surprise at the sight of her. "Begging your pardon, ma'am."

"Problem?" she asks mildly.

"Lieutenant," he greets her warily.

She inclines her head. "Captain."

"Excuse my language," he says. "I didn't realize a lady was present."

"I'm no lady," she assures him gently. "What's the problem?"

"Oh," he mutters, holding up the offending piece of plastic which turns out to be the broken handle of a disposable razor. "I'm trying ... was trying to get a decent shave in, but nothing works ... I thought things were supposed to be better in the future ...? Doesn't anyone use a proper razor anymore?"

"Like a straight razor?" she smiles. "Those plastic things are crap."

"Yeah," he agrees.

"Didn't Jordon ...?"

He makes a face. "Nice enough kid and all," Steve says, "but he's hardly old enough to shave and even when he should ... well, maybe it's not for me to point out, but he keeps showing up at the office looking like he's been dragged back from shore leave."

Maria sighs. She has assigned one of the young interns to show Rogers around, but clearly it's not working.

"I know where you can get a proper shaving kit, " she offers. "Are you wearing the same clothes as last time I saw you?"

He looks defensive. "They're clean."

"But didn't Jordan at least take you shopping?"

"No, he left me a bag of clothes - most too small ..."

Maria sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. She'll have a word with Jordan later. In the meantime ...

"Do you have any appointments this morning?" she asks. "I came to talk to you about an apartment, but I think it's more important that I take you shopping."

"No," he answers. "At least to the appointment. And you don't need to ..."

"Come," she orders and he follows meekly.

One of the things that Maria likes best about a small organization like SHIELD is that people don't generally worry too much about hierarchy. When things need to be done, everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets on with it.

Hence, she understands that even as deputy director, she isn't too high a level to supervise Steve Rogers' reintegration into society.

She understands that Fury had meant for her to take a more hands on approach.

She understands that Fury would be annoyed to learn that his not-quite-a-direct-order had not been followed as she'd tried to pawn off the shopping and briefing duties onto junior staff.

And so she feels enormously guilty when she realizes that Rogers has been left pretty much rudderless in this new world.

So she takes him shopping.

 

They take a taxi to a quiet residential street. Tucked away among gentrified townhouses is a tiny barber shop where a tiny bell jingles as they enter.

A wizened elderly man squints at them in a confused sort of way.

"Good morning Josef," Maria greets him gently.

"Ah it's you!" he exclaims, clearly not willing to admit that he's forgotten her name.

"It's Maria," she prompts him. "And I've brought you a customer." She motions Steve forward. He shakes Josef's hand courteously while Maria explains that the 'young man' is looking to buy one of those old fashioned shaving kits with the straight blade that he used to sell.

Josef brightens and compliments Steve on his common sense. He opens a drawer full of slim leather kits and pulls several out for Steve to choose from.

"So much better than those silly new fangled jobs," Josef mutters.

"Couldn't agree more," smiles Steve.

"But young man," Josef notes with a concerned look in his eyes, "seems to me that you haven't done the best job on yourself ..." he nods meaningfully and Steve rubs his jaw ruefully. "Want me to ...?"

Even as Steve is agreeing and settling into a chair, Maria is biting her lip and wondering how to explain if things go wrong. Can Captain America survive seventy years in the ice only to have his throat cut by an elderly barber?

But it turns out that it's one of Josef's good days.

Stove asks him about the pictures on the wall and they end up chatting about old timey baseball greats and jazz music and how things lasted longer back in the good old days.

Maria sits in another chair and searches the Internet.

Josef deftly lathers up Steve's face, sharpens his blade on a leather strap and then delicately scrapes the blade across Steve's face.

Maria sits and listens to the rhythm and the patter of conversation (now somewhat one sided as Steve has to stay still).

When they're done, Steve thanks Josef and pays him from a wad of cash that he pulls out.

Maria sighs. "I should warn you about waving large sums of money about," she says to him as they walk away, "but I'm guessing that you'd be able to handle any muggers that gave you grief."

He shoots her a quick grin. "Bring 'em on."

They walk a few blocks on to a part of town called 'Dupont Circle' which Maria describes as hippy cool.  
"I have an idea," she tells him. "Just play along, OK?"

They enter a small men's clothing store that advertises 'made to measure' and 'costumes of all sorts'. Maria takes out her cellphone and approaches one of the salesmen.

"We're looking for someone who can make up some old fashioned kind of trousers for my friend, here," she explains, showing the clerk images on her phone. "Sort of Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart-style. Know what I mean?"

"Sort of loose, high-waisted, with pleats and all?"

"Yeah."

Steve is looking amused.

"Are you in a play or something?" one of the guys asks.

"Something like that," he agrees.

They negotiate, they take measurements, Steve explains his preferences and refuses to consider suspenders.

They walk out of the store with a bag of 'old fashioned' shirts and and a receipt for several pairs of pleated, tailored pants to be picked up in a week or so.

"So you don't mind if I wear old fashioned clothes?" Steve asks as they keep walking.

"I want you to be comfortable," she answers cheerily. "Your fashion sense is not my concern."

"Can you show me how to do that thing with the phone?" he asks. "Can my phone show pictures, too?"

"Oh sure. Let me show you."

She had expected him to be flummoxed by new technology, but he's embracing it with an ease that would embarrass plenty of modern day adults.

"Just watch out" she cautions him. "The Internet can be a little ..."

"You think I'll have a heart attack if I stumble over some naughty pictures?" he smiles.

"Well ..."

"Or pictures like this?" He holds out a photo on his phone of an attractive blond man wearing a Captain America jumpsuit zipped down .... waaay down.

She averts her eyes.

"Definitely not me."

"No, I can see you're adapting to the 21st century quite well."

He laughs. "I need instruction, but I don't need to be coddled."

"So I see."

Two young women wearing spandex jostle them and then jog past. Maria takes note of how Steve watches them go by. His eyes are hidden by the mirrored sunglasses, but it's not hard to tell what he's focused on.

"Workout clothing?" she suggests

"Huh?"

"You're going to need something to wear to workout in," she says.

Next stop is one of those fancy, overpriced sports stores that started out catering to serious athletes, but has morphed somewhat into a place to buy Lulu lemon yoga pants. 

Steve flatly refuses to consider spandex bike shorts ... "Not going to happen ..."

But he is happy to emerge with shorts, track pants, some fancy new t-shirts and a pair of running shoes.

He pays as ever with cash despite the look of shock on the face of the clerk.

"Has anyone explained the concept of credit cards to you?" Maria asks in amusement as they're leaving.

"Sure," he answers lightly. "I have one in my wallet."

She doesn't ask and he doesn't explain why he's not using it.

They chat about other things. They stop at a chain coffee shop and Maria indulges in one of her favourite 'fou fou' lattes while Steve buys himself a plain black coffee.

"The apartment is somewhere around here," Maria explains. "It's a nice neighbourhood."

"Look forward to checking it out."

He confesses to being uncomfortable about spending SHIELD's money. 

"It's not SHIELD's money," she assures him firmly. "We're just giving you an advance on money that is owed to you by the government. You can't live on air while the appeals are winding their way through the bureaucracy."

"Feels like charity," he says mulishly.

Maria shrugs.

A yummy mummy skates by on Rollerblades pushing a stroller and Steve idly watches her go by.

Maria is amused. Nice to see a normal red blooded man thawing out. She takes note that he's distracted by spandex.

She spies a lovely leather jacket in a window and drags him in to try it on. He's dubious but it's butter soft and fits him beautifully.

"My treat," she offers.

"What kind of clothes would you like to see me in?" he asks carefully. "I mean, if I weren't digging in my heels and being stubborn ...?"

"You're allowed to have your own opinion," she says mildly.

"Yeah, well ... I might not wear them right away, but I wouldn't object ... if you wanted to show me. As long as it's not weird ...."

Without letting him think, she immediately drags him into a nearby jeans store. The clerk lights up at the sight of him. It's midday on a weekday and the place is deserted so she's thrilled to load up on a wide variety of choices and hover over him.

Maria warns the girl - no skinny jeans. 

It turns out that he's not shy. Not body shy anyways. Steve willingly models her selections. He strips off his shirt to try on her offerings.

His constant complaint, expressed mildly, is that everything is too tight.

The clerk dares to touch him, smoothing the clingy long sleeve shirt over his shoulders to show him how the seam is perfectly lined up with the point of his shoulder. It's exactly the right size.

"You've probably worked hard for this body," she teases, "don't you want to show it off?"

Maria tries not to smirk. The clerk is probably wondering why she's letting another girl touch 'her' guy, but she's never been the possessive type.

Steve ends up with several t-shirts and a few pairs of jeans. 

And the phone number of the clerk written on his receipt.


End file.
